Kiss the Boy
by TheUltimateCokeBear
Summary: Everyone's heard of Kiss the Girl, right? But when Robin's just had a tonsillectomy and Starfire can't understand sign language, the roles are going to have to be reversed... [RobStar]
1. Robin Passes Out

**Kiss The Boy**

Chapter One

Beep.

Be-beep.

…

Beee…

Be-be-beep.

Beep.

…

…

Beee…

…

"… Robin? Please, how long should the microwave be set for?"

Starfire felt horrible for having to ask Robin again, due to the fact that his throat was currently ailing him. Cyborg had said he was suffering from "strep throat." At her initial distress, Robin had reassured her that it was no big deal; he had gotten it before and got better after a few days.

However, it had been four days and still no improvement, even with the painkillers and antibiotics. In fact, along with the arrival of a fever, some abdominal pain that had subsided for the moment, and even at one point a case of vomiting, it had gotten worse.

So the rest of the team, being the good friends that they were, offered to go pick up a prescription for Robin, who felt like collapsing on the ground at this point. Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy volunteered to go while Starfire stayed with Robin, which neither Titan minded.

Since Robin was feeling horrible and the rest of the Titans wouldn't let him go work, claiming he would overexert himself, he had just plopped down on the couch and agreed to Starfire's proposal of a movie. Knowing her, it would probably be either a chick flick or something Disney, but gunfire and explosions didn't sound so hot right now either. He had begun to develop an earache as well; one of the _wonderful_ side effects of strep throat. Pretty soon he probably wouldn't even be able to yawn.

Turning in his seat to watch his best friend hover around the kitchen, a small smile playing on his lips as he did so, and answered her.

"I think it says a minute and a half," he called hoarsely. Starfire smiled apologetically at him, putting the packet back in the microwave and setting the timer correctly.

As it hummed and the sounds of popping kernels filled the air, Starfire soared over to the large television and began searching for the DVD case. Just as she let out a cry of triumph, the microwave gave a long, monotonous beep.

Starfire turned and flew over the couch again, Robin feeling his hair being pushed back slightly as she passed. The case dropped down next to him and he picked it up lazily.

His mask grew large as he saw a picture of Starfire, in a mermaid costume, on the cover.

… Oh, wait. That was just the mermaid in the movie.

Robin shook his head, putting his hand to it and wincing seconds later. She had been in his thoughts more than usual lately, and he had a feeling that he knew why. Seeing as he had barley admitted that he had more-than-friendly feeling towards her to himself, there was no way he be telling that to her anytime soon.

He was jarred out of his thoughts as Starfire appeared next to him, setting down a bowl filled with popcorn and picking the DVD back up. While she inserted it as Cyborg had instructed her, Robin picked up a piece of popcorn and caught it in his mouth, swallowing with a bit of difficulty.

The previews began to play, lights lowering to create a cozy atmosphere. As Starfire finally landed softly next to him and leaned on his side lightly, Robin realized that this could create some problems…

To his relief, the first part of the movie went well, despite the fact that Starfire had cuddled up to him during the middle of Poor Unfortunate Souls. That distracted him plenty, and he spent the rest of the song trying not to focus on how good it felt, or trying to figure out what that amazing scent coming from her hair was.

Then,_ it_ came up. The dreaded song.

Kiss the Girl.

Inwardly, Robin groaned and looked to the side to avoid Starfire's large green eyes looking at him. Of course the characters just _happened _to look almost like Starfire and him. Of course.

Turning his head a little, he watched Eric pulled away like nothing happened. 'A man after my own heart,' thought Robin cynically.

"You wanna kiss the girl…" 

'No thanks, I'd rather not give her mono.' Could Starfire even _get _sick? Hm.

He shifted uncomfortably, sneaking what he considered subtle glances at Starfire while Eric tried to guess Ariel's name. Her eyes were fixed on the screen, but feeling his eyes on her face she turned and looked at him. Eyes shining, she smiled at him.

"This scene is quite romantic, yes?" she whispered, making him gulp and flush a little.

"Uh… yeah, I guess…" he returned throatily and tugging at his collar with his free hand. Ugh, his throat was killing him. The hand shifted from his collar to his throat and began rubbing it, knowing that it probably wouldn't do much.

A few seconds later, Starfire's own hand closed over his. His eyes grew slightly and he turned his head to meet her gaze. She glanced down at their hands, eyes compassionate, then back up to his face with a small smile.

"Robin, you should not be doing that. I believe it will only serve to further the irritation," she chided gently. Unknowingly, she had moved a bit closer to him. The music continued softly in the background, making Robin's attention waver between Starfire and the distance between their faces.

"Yeah…" he mumbled absentmindedly, eyes flicking from her eyes to her lips and back quickly.

The little animals started encouraging the Disney couple, whispering _"Kiss her; kiss her!"_ repeatedly, but it sounded like they were also egging on the Titan couple. Either way, neither was about to disagree.

Slowly, their heads inched towards each other. Starfire could feels Robin's slightly ragged breath fanning over her lips. He could see her half-lidded eyes slowly closing, his own sliding shut as well moments later. They leaned closer, the distance dwindling to a few mere centimeters and mimicking the characters onscreen.

They were so close…

The boat turned over.

The lights clicked on.

Eric and Ariel were thrown into the water with a loud splash.

Robin and Starfire tumbled off the couch with a loud yelp.

Sebastian smacked his face with his claw, disgusted.

Cyborg raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Hey guys… are we interrupting something?" he asked, that smug expression still on his face.

Robin, falling into an uncontrollable coughing fit, was unable to do anything except send a murderous glare his way. Starfire quickly recovered and put a hand on Robin's back, alarmed by the rasping sound of the coughs. She looked up at Raven pleadingly.

"You have acquired medical treatment, yes?" she asked hopefully. Beast Boy reached into the plastic bag, pulling out a small, rectangular box and tossing it to Starfire, ignoring the annoyed look on Raven's face, who was the one actually _holding_ the bag.

"There ya go," he told her, walking over to the leader and looking at him. He looked a bit concerned. "Are you okay dude? You sound like you're about to cough up a lung."

Finally getting himself under control, Robin inhaled deeply and took the box offered by Starfire. Standing up a bit shakily, he leaned on the couch and shook his head.

"It feels like someone stuck a pair of scissors down my throat," he muttered, uncapping the bottle quickly and shaking two of the pills into his hand. Tossing them into his mouth and swallowing, he sat back down.

"I still don't feel any better Cy," he told his friend, looking up at him. Leaning back on the couch, he closed his eyes. "Are you sure it's just strep?" Cyborg shrugged.

"That's what I though at first, but I'm not really a doctor. Why don't we check again?" Robin sighed; why not? It couldn't get any worse.

--

"Well, I've figured it out it out." Tossing the tongue depressor into the garbage, he turned towards Robin. The Titan looked skeptical.

"That was quick." Cyborg nodded, putting away a picture he had been comparing to Robin's esophagus.

"All I needed was one look down your throat; your tonsils are inflamed, and they've got these white spots on 'em." At the slightly disgusted looks on everyone's face, he sweatdropped and continued. "Anyways, judging by how long you've been sick, I think you're gonna need to have them taken out."

Robin paled.

"_What_?"

"You're going to have to have a tonsillectomy."

Starfire looked confused at this new term. "Please, what is this "tonsillectomy," and what does it have to do with Robin's well-being?"

Seeing as Robin still looked frozen, Raven spoke for him. "It's just a surgery that some people have when they need their tonsils removed when they won't get better. It's nothing big," she informed the alien, calming her.

Beast Boy broke in excitedly. "Yeah, and when you're getting better, you get to eat ice-cream and stay in bed!"

Raven looked at him oddly. "Have you ever had your tonsils taken out?" she asked warily.

He shook his head, toning down a bit. "No, but I've wanted to a few times." He rushed up to Robin. "Hey, when they come out, can I have them?" he asked eagerly.

Robin fell back on the bed, out cold.

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Teen Titans, The Little Mermaid, Kiss the Girl or anything else you've heard of in this fic.

**Authoress' Note:** Wow, how in the world did I come up with this idea? xD I think it just popped up when I was doing laundry: I was listening to Kiss the Girl earlier (I'm on some weird Disney craze; I've been listening to them all weekend), and thinking about making a video to it. But then I was thinking about how played out it is, and then there was this other fic idea of Robin with tonsillitis that I got from watching Hannah Montana for a few minutes floating around in my head. Then it just kinda came to me and I had to start writing this right away. I even went so far as to listen to Kiss the Girl while writing, but that really did nothing for me, which is why Forever by The Veronicas is blasting out of the speakers on high at the moment. (Trust me, the chorus is LOUD.)

Anyways, I kind of have an idea of where I'm going with this. I don't have any part of the next chapter written (even though this one is short in my opinion), and I have no idea when this will be updated. I'm still working on another chapter of The Hourglass. I just felt like doing a humorous fluffy fic for kicks. Since this was my first shot at explicit fluff, i.e. the almost kiss, tell me how it was. Did it suck? Was it good? I think it sucks, but don't I always?

Now my fingers are all twitchy because Forever is making adrenalin rush through me in anticipation of making a video for it. Exactly what I'm going to do after I post this. xD

Feed the author please! ;)  
- Christine

**EDIT:** Wow that was quick. Thanks Kryalla for the correction!


	2. Starfire Learns Things

**Kiss the Boy**

Chapter Two

Voices began floating in and out.

"…wake up soon?"

"Maybe we should pour water on him. Ooh, I got a better idea! How about we have Starfire kiss him?"

"How about _you _kiss him, Beast Boy?" Raven sounded ticked.

_Wha…? Should I wake up…?_

"Starfire, don't listen to Beast Boy!"

_That's a yes._

Robin's eyes snapped open, only to be met with a pair of jade peepers staring back into his own. Starting, he scooted back a bit on the medical bed, surveying the rest of the team.

"What just happened?" he asked. The others stared at him, Starfire moving back to her spot next to Raven.

"Dude, you passed out," Cyborg informed him. He scratched his head. "I didn't know you were afraid of operations."

Robin crossed his arms over his chest defensively, scowling. "No. I just… it was a shock, okay?" He watched on as Cyborg chuckled. "What? It's not funny Cy."

"I know," Cyborg told him, pressing his fist to his mouth to contain snickers. Robin sighed and looked at Raven.

"Can't you do anything about this?" he requested pleadingly.

Raven shook her head. "Things like colds and sore throats are beneath my powers. Would you really want me to operate on you?" she asked him, one hand glowing black. He sat up on the bed.

He was struck speechless for a moment. "…" Robin turned to Cyborg, sighing resignedly. "Fine. When are you going to do it?"

Cyborg stared for a second, then laughed. After a few moments he stopped in mid-laugh. "You were serious?" He shook his head. "Like I said, I don't think I'm qualified to operate on someone. You're going to the hospital first thing tomorrow to get it done by a real doctor."

Robin passed out.

--

Somewhere along the line, the calm blackness of unconsciousness had melted into a Disney-induced dream. Blackfire had become Ursula, Starfire took the role of Ariel, and Robin was stuck trying to figure out what Starfire was saying, having replaced Eric.

The haunting notes of Starfire's song, her voice having been stolen by Blackfire long before, echoed in his mind as he sat up straight all of a sudden. Panting slightly, he peered into the darkness to try and determine how much time had passed.

Judging by how dark it was, he had probably been out longer this time. Looking around the room, it was obvious that someone had taken him to his room. The curtains were covering the windows, but even if they weren't there would be no light. His shoes had been placed neatly next to the bed, and whoever had done this had taken the time to pull the covers down and place him underneath.

Pulling them off and letting them fall to the floor, Robin groaned and put his head in his hands. The feeling had gone from scissors shoved down his throat to a circle of the sticky side of Velcro that tightened painfully on the tender sides of his esophagus every time he swallowed or even made a noise.

And of course, there was no water on the nightstand to help soothe the painful sensation. Of course.

Getting up and ignoring the protests of his aching body, Robin made his way into the common room. The lights were dimmed as before, small patches of gold on an otherwise pitch black room.

The Boy Wonder crossed the room and grabbed a glass from the cabinets. Filling it up with water, he gulped it down quickly and sighed with relief. Now to find a water bottle…

"Robin?"

Said Titan, hunched over in front of the refrigerator at the moment, stiffened, shoulders tensing. A few moments later he stood back up and turned around, only to half wish he hadn't.

Starfire floated in the doorway.

In her nightgown.

Looking at him curiously.

In her nightgown.

She blinked, head cocked to the side.

In her nightgown.

Oh, and did he mention the nightgown that ended at mid-thigh?

Naturally, Robin gaped for a second, barely registering the sound of the water bottle falling to the floor. Luckily, Starfire flew over to his position and reached down, giving him a chance to recover his scattered wits despite the fact that she was right in front of him.

As she straightened, the fallen water bottle in hand, his wits were shot to pieces again. He tried to concentrate as she handed him the bottle, smiling sweetly.

"Hello Robin," she greeted, still wearing that adorable smile. "I am glad to see you are awake."

His hand, which had been groping thin air for a couple of seconds, finally closed around the bottle and he nodded. "Yeah. Who took me to my room?" he asked her, voice scratchy. Taking a sip from the bottle to fix it, he watched her blush. A small smile appeared on his face.

"You?"

She nodded mutely, suddenly fascinated with the ground. Feeling a sudden surge of boldness, he brought his finger under her chin and gently tilted her face up meet his gaze. The smile was more pronounced now.

"Thanks."

Starfire's cheeks became pinker and she beamed. "I welcome you. Truly, I– " She stopped in mid-sentence, as if she suddenly realized something. As she continued to stare at Robin, he shifted awkwardly.

"What? Is there something– "

"You are… _taller_… than me," she said softly, almost incredulously. Robin raised an eyebrow.

"What are you– " He looked down, only to meet her eyes. "… Oh. I guess I am," he said in what he hoped sounded like an offhand voice. Inwardly he was cheering at this new revelation; while he knew being short for his age wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it was a relief to know that he was finally taller than someone besides Beast Boy.

Starfire poked him in the chest. "How did you accomplish such a feat in such a small amount of time?" she inquired, genuinely curious.

Robin shrugged and took another sip. "I guess it was just a growth spurt." At her confused look, he clarified. "It's when a guy suddenly grows taller."

Starfire put a finger to her lips, thinking. "Will Beast Boy be experiencing the "growth spurt" soon then?" Suddenly she gasped, hands flying to her mouth. "What if you do not stop the growing?" she worried. At her distress, Robin chuckled and shook his head.

"No, it only happens once in a while, and it's just a few inches at a time."

The alien princess relaxed, smiling weakly. "That is most relieving, for I would not wish for Friend Beast Boy to grow until he resembled the jovial man on the peas."

Robin thought about it for a second, then burst out laughing. "Beast Boy– as the– Jolly Green Giant?" He stopped laughing, due to his throat, and drank a little from the bottle. Seeing Robin drink seemed to remind Starfire that her best friend was still sick.

Grabbing his arm, she began pulling him along. "It is late; you should be resting for tomorrow." Feeling him still, she looked back, only to see his slightly apprehensive face.

"Yeah…" He could see concern for him in her large eyes, wishing to somehow comfort him. He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry; I'm fine."

Starfire looked down, then held his left hand between hers and looked directly into the mask. "You are sure?"

His other hand came up and covered hers. "Positive."

With one last worried smile and an impromptu hug, she bid him goodnight. Robin waved and watched the purple-clad figure disappear down the hallway.

Rubbing his hands over his face, Robin slid back into the bed, falling into a dream involving Beast Boy the Jolly Green Giant, a little toga made of leaves, and one thoroughly disturbed Raven.

Well, at least he wasn't having anymore Disney-themed dreams.

--

"Okay, everyone know what their job is?"

Nods all around, and Cyborg pointed to Raven, who rolled her eyes.

"I'll be covering the door so that he doesn't try to run," she droned, thinking this whole idea stupid. Ignoring her, Cyborg pointed to Starfire.

"I shall be holding onto him to ensure he does not do the bolting," she sounded off happily.

Cyborg nodded, pleased. "I've got the papers covered. What will you be doing, Beast Boy?" he asked the changeling pointedly.

"I'll cover his ears every time someone says surgery," he grumbled. Sitting up straighter on the couch, he pouted. "Why do I have to do it again?"

"Because, while we were assigning jobs last night, you were watching America's Most Explosive Car Crashes," Raven replied dryly.

"Yeah, and when we told you told come over here you ignored us, so you're stuck with it," added Cyborg. Disregarding Beast Boy, who stuck his tongue out, he looked at Starfire. "Go wake up the patient, would you Star?"

The Tamerainian nodded and flew off to Robin's door. Knocking on it, she called to him. "Robin? Robin, please awaken, we must journey to the hos– erm… To the location where you will receive treatment!" Getting no response, she knocked harder and consequently made a dent in the door. Starfire eeped and tried a different approach.

Wedging her fingers in the crack between the panels of the door, she managed to push them back into the slots on the side. The gears groaned in remonstration, but went back. Well, the dented one went as far in as it could, what with the large metal bump and all.

Starfire floated in, looking around the dark room. The curtains were still blocking the sunlight, making the only source of light the brightness spilling in from the hallway. _Perhaps that is why he has not awoken_, she mused.

Reaching the bed, she shook the lump in the covers that was Robin. "Please Robin, awaken. Friend Cyborg wish for you to get the butt in motion."

Robin let out a yawn and turned over. "It's "get your butt in gear," Star," he corrected sleepily. He yelped as he felt her grip his ankles and began to pull him out of bed.

"Then you must be doing that now please," she told him, jerking back suddenly. Looking back, she saw that Robin's hands had grabbed a firm hold on his headboard in protest.

Not wanting to hurt him, she tugged gently (for her) on his legs as an attempt to pull him away. "Robin, the others are waiting. Please let go," she grunted with a stronger tug, "so you may do the getting better."

Robin shook his head, wanting nothing more than to huddle back under the covers and avoid this whole thing. However, when Starfire dropped his legs, making him flop down to the bed at an awkward angle since he was still holding on, he craned his head over his shoulder.

"Star, what are you do– " His body twitched and he laughed as she tickled his side. "What're you– sto– stop! Let go!" The rest of his protests were consumed by laughter that he unsuccessfully tried to contain.

She had begun tickling him to get him to loosen his grip. It was actually working pretty well.

Starfire smiled and continued, sitting down on his lower back. "I will not relent until you get up Robin," she giggled, her finger climbing higher.

Robin felt his arms begin to weaken, although whether it was due to the tickling or the contact was unknown. He finally let go and turned over, stomach aching from the laughter.

In an instant, she had grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head, grinning. "There! Now you must…" Trailing off, it was obvious that she had realized what position they were in.

"…"

"…"

Both were completely silent, Starfire on top with Robin under her, hands pinned over his head. Of course, the moment couldn't last forever…

Someone appeared in the doorway, blocking the light.

"Yo, Star! Is Rob up yet? We need to– OH G– " Cyborg clapped a hand over his eyes and tried to back out of the door. "I didn't– If I'd known you were doin' something kinky– I'll wait. Out there," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder and sped down the hall at a speed that Kid Flash would be proud of.

Robin blushed deeply and gruffly asked Starfire to let him up. The blush, along with his scowl at Cyborg's teasing glances, stayed until they were parked an in the hotel lobby.

--

Normally, Robin liked it when Starfire held his hand. All was right with the world, it was all good, not a care in the world, ect. ect.

But when Raven was hovering near the doors, Beast Boy seemed to forget the term "personal space" and lingered by his head, and Cyborg was filling out forms like his life depended on them, it was hard to fully enjoy the guilty pleasure of Starfire holding his hand.

Cyborg, the speed-demon writer that he was, actually was pretty pleased with how the plan was working. Robin wasn't making a mad dash for the exit, and as long as no one mentioned anything that pertained to surgery, things would continue to–

"Thank you," the nurse behind the desk said kindly, taking the paperwork before the ink had even dried. "Here's your room number," she handed a piece of paper to Cyborg, "and your surgery has been scheduled for eight o'clock tonight."

There was a thud as Robin collapsed on the floor.

The rest of the team glared at Beast Boy, who, until this moment had been looking around aimlessly, looked utterly confused as to what he did wrong.

"… What?" He looked down and saw Robin on the floor. "OH!"

Bending down, he clamped his hands over Robin's ears and beamed. "Uh… He's playing dead?"

"…"

"… Yeah, I wouldn't have bought it either."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Don't own the Jolly Green Giant. xD Imagine if I did... -imagines nothing but a bag of peas- Oh. Never mind then. 

**Authoress' Note:** Just wanted to get something out before I left for vacation. today ;) I'll be back sometime around the end of July and start writing a new chapter. (Sadly, I don't own a laptop. D;) I've developed slight writers block on The Hourglass, but I'm working on it. I don't want to put out something suckish and short.

Anyways, the next chapter is going to be fun(ny). Beast Boy's going to shake up the hospital. xD Poor Robin; I remember waking up with that horrible pain in my throat and not having a drink... Nearly drove me crazy. I was a little iffy about the tickling scene; Robin tickling/laughing is like a pink Batsignal. That might explain why I yelled really loud in Target when I saw one. ;

Thank you Kryalla for the beta! ;D And, to all those reviews. Thanks so much!  
- Christine


	3. Raven Discovers Shakespeare

**Kiss the Boy**

Chapter Two

The nurse gasped and peered over the desk at the prone Robin. "Oh my g- is he going to be all right?" she asked anxiously.

Cyborg nodded, not taking his glare off Beast Boy. "Yeah, he'll be fine. BB, pick him up." As Cyborg turned around to leave, Beast Boy made a protest.

"What!? Dude, why me?" he remonstrated.

"Because you failed to do your job, which was probably the easiest one besides Starfire's, correctly," Raven informed him, floating by him.

"It's a stupid job," the green teen pouted, to which Raven rolled her eyes.

"You only got it because you decided to watch that stupid show."

"One of them crashed a car into a helicopter! A _helicopter_, Raven!" he shouted, waving his arms around to add to the gravity of it.

"Well, I hope it was worth it then," she muttered, violet eyes ordering Beast Boy to pick him up.

Grumbling, the changeling shifted into a large green gorilla and heaved Robin over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. As he lumbered down the hallway with the other Titans following shortly, the woman at the front desk watched them go with an awed expression.

"And they're the ones protecting our city," she murmured in an impressed voice, propping her chin in her hand dreamily.

--

Dumping Robin in the hospital bed, Beast Boy shifted back into human form and peeked outside the door eagerly. "Hey, I saw a gift shop back there!" he exclaimed excitedly. "CanwegocanwecanwegopleasepleasePLEASE?" he begged, alternately tugging on Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire's arms.

"B, that wasn't a gift shop. It was a… Um… Okay, maybe it was _like_ a gift shop, but it's not," Cyborg corrected, a bit confused about the small store set inside the hospital they had passed on the way to Robin's temporary room.

Starfire hovered closely to the bedside, fretting slightly. "Are you sure he is the okay?" she questioned uneasily, looking like she was going to start wringing her hands any minute.

"Don't worry Star, he'll wake up any minute," Cyborg reassured her, standing on the opposite side of the bed and smiling. The smile he got in return was weak, although a bit more assured.

"So… While we're waiting for Robin to wake up, can we visit that store?" Beast Boy piped up eagerly, bouncing on his heels at the end of the bed and holding onto the thin rails that made up the footboard.

Raven rolled her eyes again and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him from the bed. "Let's go before you have a fit. Stop bouncing," she growled, tugging the hyperactive changeling away.

The shapeshifter made a 'gak' noise as he was pulled out, and Cyborg and Starfire watched the pair disappear out the down.

After a beat, Cyborg smiled sheepishly. "I should probably make sure Raven doesn't kill Beast Boy," he said, flashing Starfire another smile and walking out.

She watched his large metal back disappear out the door and abruptly break into a run down the hall, calling, "What th– RAVEN, UNTIE BB AND GET HIM DOWN FROM THERE!"

Starfire sighed and looked down at Robin's blank face, waiting for him to regain consciousness. Very carefully, she laced her fingers with his, lightly rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand.

She couldn't wait until Robin was better so they could go home. Her mind drifted to last night with the movie, making her cheeks turn pink with a small smile. She didn't know if he would even acknowledge what had happened, but Starfire was hopeful that somehow she would get lucky enough for a second try… One that would actually end well, that is.

So deep in her thinking, Starfire barely noticed the small, unconscious tightening of Robin's hand on hers.

--

"Oww, I think you broke something," Beast Boy complained as the trio entered the small convenient store, rubbing his elbow.

Raven was wearing a vexed expression as she replied, "Beast Boy, we're in a _hospital_. Even if I really _did_ break something, it wouldn't be a problem."

Cyborg shouldered himself between the two and clapped a large hand on each shoulder, preventing Beast Boy from retorting. "Alright y'all, play nice. We don't want to get thrown out of _another_ store."

"Even though it was all Beast Boy's fault," Raven muttered quietly, although Beast Boy caught it and looked indignant.

"You're _supposed_ to try out the bikes and ride them down the aisles; that's why they're there!" he shouted at her.

"Yes, but you're not supposed to ride down the aisles playing polo with beach balls and pool noodles on them," Raven returned dryly. "And don't forget that skylight you broke."

"I yelled fore," he muttered sulkily, not catching Cyborg's exasperated sigh.

"How about this: Raven, go check out the books," here Cyborg randomly plucked a good-sized book from a nearby display table and shoved it in Raven's hands before she could make another biting comment about how 'look out' and 'fore' were different, "and Beast Boy can go look at those animals," he finished, pointing at a stack of stuffed animals with tags that informed the buyer that their money would be used to find a cure for cancer.

Beast Boy, all bike-polo related arguments forgotten, raced over and practically dove into the large pile. Cyborg let out a breath of relief and followed to make sure Beast Boy stayed under control.

Shaking her head slowly, Raven looked down at the book Cyborg had placed in her hands.

"… _Hamlet_?" she read the cover dubiously, looking at the author, "'William Shakespeare'…?" Shrugging and deciding to give it a chance, she flipped it open to somewhere around the middle.

_"To be or not to be: that is the question:  
__Whether 'tis nobler in the mind  
__To suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,  
__Or to take arms against a sea of troubles  
__And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep  
__No more: and to sleep say we end  
__The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks  
__That flesh is heir t, 'tis a consummation  
__Devoutly to be wish'd. To die: to sleep; ... "_

Raven's eyebrows rose as it went on. _Sounds… interesting_, she thought to herself. Skimming over a few more pages, she found this 'Shakespeare' person's writing style to be amazing and lovely, the words flowing beautifully.

Five minutes later, Beast Boy popped up near Raven's spot at the register, a small purple puppy perched on his head. "Whatcha got there?" he asked, craning his neck to try and peek inside her bag.

A flash of black tied it closed, preventing him from seeing her purchases. "They're just books; not that you would know since you never pick one up," she informed him, nose buried in _Hamlet_. Her eyes lifted once and flicked to the little plushie sitting on his head. "Are you planning on buying that?"

The forest green eyes shot upwards, almost going cross-eyed in his attempt to see it. "Eh, maybe. I'd probably end up giving it to Starfire or something," he said offhandedly, weighing it in his hand.

"Then why don't you buy something else that will entertain you for about twelve hours?" she suggested, eyes glued to the pages once again. "How about that?" Raven proposed, pointing without looking in that direction, missing Beast Boy's large grin.

"Dude, that's an awesome idea!" he exclaimed, racing off to grab one.

Raven looked up, surprised, to see exactly _what _had been so genius. Upon spotting him near the product, she groaned. "Of all things, it had to be _that_," she mumbled, exasperated.

--

The scene the three Titans walked in on made Beast Boy and Cyborg rub their hands together with anticipation of blackmail to come.

Robin, awake and sitting up straight in the bed, was watching Starfire hover around the room and glance curiously at everything. His expression was calm and smile affectionate. Both their backs were turned, Starfire looking out the large window and Robin looking at Starfire. Neither heard their teammates enter until Cyborg coughed to cover up his chuckles.

Robin's head snapped around so fast he could've gotten whiplash. "What– when did you get here?" he asked, a bit embarrassed to be caught staring at Starfire.

"Eh, a few minutes ago," Cyborg said casually, though his organic eye twinkled with mirth.

Robin, knowing instantly Cyborg knew, tried to change the subject quickly. "So," he coughed, "where were you guys?"

"We went to this little store they have here. We got some stuff to pass the time, but I think you've already found something." At the last part Cyborg wiggled his eyebrow at Robin, making the leader turn red and look away, disgusted and discomfited. The older Titan started laughing until Beast Boy distracted them all.

"Dudes, check it out!" he crowed proudly, holding up a small electronic device no bigger than Cyborg's fist. "Tetris!" he cried happily.

"Pong," Raven corrected in a deadpan, sitting down in one of the two chairs in the room.

"Atari," Beast Boy said absently, waving her off with one hand while the other held the game as it started up. He sat down on the floor, fang protruding slightly as he concentrated.

The room went silent except for the occasional _bleep_ of the game. After a few minutes of the little sound effects began to grate on everyone's nerves. Raven was on the edge of snapping the book shut and taking the game away when they were saved by a doctor walking in, clipboard in hand.

His tanned face turned up, surveying the room. "Hello, I'm Dr. Hernandez. So, Robin…" he looked at the papers on the clipboard. "You're here for tonsillitis?"

Robin nodded, unwilling to think of what was to come. "Yeah. How long will this take? We need to be ready to– "

The doctor interrupted him, smiling. "Don't worry, you'll only be here overnight. I'm sure that you'll be up and out by tomorrow afternoon."

A frown crossed over Robin's face, but he accepted it. He couldn't go out with his throat ailing during battle. At least it was a relatively short time to stay. Nodding, he thanked Dr. Hernandez for everything and the doctor assured him that it was the least they could do for the heroes.

Just as Dr. Hernandez was about to leave, a silver-gloved hand shot out and grabbed his arm. He turned to see Beast Boy, green face serious as he rolled up the sleeve of his uniform.

"Hey Doc, I was just wondering… Well, there's this little spot right here," he pointed to a mark on his elbow that was a shade darker than the surrounding skin, "and I was wonder– "

"Beast Boy, for the last time, you don't have the Black Plague," Raven told him matter-of-factly, still managing to sound bored.

The doctor, bewildered, edged out before Beast Boy could notice. When the green teen _did_ realize his medical opinion was gone, he sighed, ears drooping slightly.

Moments later, the pointed elf ears pricked up.

"Heeey…" Beast Boy drawled. "I just realized something…"

"That you just lost your game?" Raven supplied, referring to the small 'Game Over' sign flashing across the discarded Pong game.

"No, I– what!? Aw man!" the changeling whined. Sparing everyone a large amount of griping, he continued. "No, I was going to say that there's no music playing!"

Everyone in the room went silent. The only sounds floating in and filling the room were of phones ringing, people murmuring conversations, papers being shuffled, and other miscellaneous noises. No soft oldies music, jazz combos, or even 'Paging Dr. Thompkins' in the background.

The Titans were so engrossed with trying to catch any music that almost no one noticed the prank-happy shapeshifter slip quietly out of the room with a soft cackle.

"I'll take care of this…"

--

The small green gecko scuttled under the crack in the door marked 'Authorized Personnel Only' and shifted back into a teenager, a gleam in his eye that meant monkey business.

Yes, monkey business.

Getting to work, Beast Boy transformed into a small spider monkey and began rooting through boxes of junk. Most of them held old security tapes that were going to being reused, but as luck would have it he fell out of a box full of old tapes from E.R. rooms into one full of unopened CDs.

Shifting back into his natural form, he rubbed his head and looked at the unbroken labels on the CDs. "Wow, they never even opened them? What a waste of music," he commented to himself, picking up and tossing aside a CD that had a gothic cover.

Beast Boy fished around again, pulling out and discarding various albums.

"Hmm… _Hits of the Fifties_? Too old."

Toss.

"_Twenty Four/Seven Jazz Combos? _… What's a jazz combo?"

Toss.

"_S. C. Ream and the Screechers?_ Too… screechy."

Toss, and an frustrated sigh.

"_Armageddon: The Album? _Too apocal– Hey! Aerosmith!"

Not caring about the other songs, Beast Boy located a spot to jam the CD in, slammed his fist on the play button, and flipped a few switches that (hopefully) turned on the speakers, beaming happily as the opening bars of the song began to float out into the hospital.

--

Cyborg was the first to notice Beast Boy's absence, the only evidence of the changeling's recent presence the dinky videogame continuing to tell the player that they lost the game.

Glancing around, he asked no in particular, "Hey, where'd BB go? Wasn't he here just a second ago?"

"I believe he said something about "taking care of this" and departing while doing the snickering," Starfire said, attempting to reproduce the sound but still sounding like she was giggling. The sounds of her laughter distracted Robin a bit, making his concentration waver between speculation about Beast Boy's whereabouts and wondering how someone could make giggles sound so melodic.

"I knew I should've put one of those homing chips in his ear," Cyborg muttered, lifting up chair and tables, even peering down the sink in search of their green friend.

Raven raised her finger and opened her mouth, possibly to tell Cyborg that Beast Boy probably wouldn't be hiding in the bedpan or just to make a suggestion of where to look, but closed it abruptly and stared upwards with the rest of the team as violin chords played out from the speakers and a male voice began crooning. She gaped, a rare expression of shock on her face.

"He didn't…"

"_Don't wanna close my eyes,  
__Don't wanna fall asleep…"_

Starfire nodded in disbelief, her face identical. "I believe he did."

"'_Cause I miss you, baby,  
And I don't wanna miss a thing..."_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Whoo, let's see… -takes deep breath- I don't own Live Free or Die Hard, Hamlet, Tetris, Pong, OR Atari (a good thing since I can't tell them apart), if any of those albums actually exist by some random chance I don't own them either, Armageddon: The Album or the movie Armageddon, Aerosmith, or I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, and the secret Batman reference. Oh yeah, and Teen Titans. 

**Authoress' Note:** Haha, wow. A lot of pop culture references in this one. The Live Free or Die Hard part was the part where Beast Boy mentioned the car crashing into a helicopter (my dad really wanted to go see this movie and thought it was awesome), and since I totally love Don't Wanna Miss a Thing, I wanted to include it. (Anyone seen Blades of Glory, where Chaz is acting all smashed from all the beef jerky and singing it into the phone when he calls Jimmy over and over? xD After that I kept singing it to John and putting his name in place of "baby.")

Ahem, anyways… There's a Batman reference in here. (Yes, I had to. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.) They're a somewhat-minor character in Batman's cast of characters, anyone picked it up? I'll be very impressed with those who find him/her.

On that part with Raven and not knowing about Shakespeare; I've noticed that people always have Raven being a fan of Shakespeare, Poe (and The Raven), and other classical literature. Well, I was just wondering exactly HOW she knew about them, considering that she came from an entirely different DIMENSION and wouldn't know about them when she came here. The show only has all these old tomes and spellbooks and jazz, but I don't think they ever have her reading any of the classics (probably because of copyrights and stuff, but that's beside the point…). So, I just thought that I'd do it differently here and have her _not _know about them. Plus… I really like Hamlet, and I remember the first few lines of that speech. I suppose she'd know about him eventually, so why not the hospital? (I think they have stores there, like little convenience ones for the patients and stuff. If not, then let's just pretend and not make a fuss.)

This is my goodbye-to-summer present to you guys (I guess.. xD) Yeah, today's the last day of summer and I start highschool tomorrow so I'm super freaked. o.o Also, I'll be busy with piano lessons, flute lessons, schoolwork and homework, and marching band practice two nights a week so any updates on anything might be slow. Sorry!

Ah, summer... I'll miss the freedom.  
- Christine


End file.
